Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt launched in BrainPOP Social Studies January 15, 2010. This is the first BrainPOP video of 2010. Summary Tim and Moby are watching the Franklin D. Roosevelt statue monument until Tim answers it. At the end, Moby makes the dog statue come to life and Tim told Moby he ruined yet another statue monument. Transcript *Franklin D. Roosevelt/Transcript Quiz *Franklin D. Roosevelt/Quiz Appearances *Tim *Moby FYI Sickness And Health While FDR’s doctors diagnosed him with polio, doctors today aren’t completely sure what caused his paralysis. In 2003, a team of researchers suggested that it was most likely brought on by Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disease that causes the immune system to attack the body’s healthy tissue. Either way, Roosevelt never accepted that his legs were permanently paralyzed. He worked hard to regain mobility, and always told those around him that he was getting better. He learned to stand by relying on leg braces, canes, and support from other people. He even managed to “walk” short distances by swinging his torso around to move his legs. Roosevelt often gave speeches standing while tightly gripping a sturdy lectern. He was also frequently photographed standing up—in fact, only a few photographs of FDR in a wheelchair are known to exist. As a result, few Americans knew how serious Roosevelt’s paralysis was. In spite of the extent to which he hid his affliction, Roosevelt became an advocate for polio research and therapy. In 1926, he bought a health resort in Georgia and turned it into the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, a nonprofit institution which still exists today. And in 1938, Roosevelt founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, better known as the March of Dimes. During the Great Depression, he encouraged all Americans to donate ten cents to polio research—hence the name. FDR’s effort on the organization’s behalf is a key reason why his face was put on the U.S. dime after his death! Did You Know When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, some 110,000 Japanese-Americans lived on the West Coast. Two-thirds had been born in the United States, and official government intelligence reports confirmed that they posed no threat to the U.S. whatsoever. Nevertheless, many Americans feared that some Japanese-Americans were loyal to Japan—and that they might sabotage the U.S. war effort. Among them was General John DeWitt, head of the Army’s Western Defense Command. He told Congress that Japanese-Americans were a “dangerous element,” and that “we must worry about the Japanese all the time until he is wiped off the map.” At DeWitt’s urging, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942. It allowed DeWitt to declare the entire West Coast a “military area” in which Japanese-Americans were not permitted to live. Instead, they were rounded up and placed into internment camps (pictured) scattered throughout the United States. Often, they had only days to sell their farms or businesses before they were taken away, which led to financial ruin for many. Fenced in by barbed wire, and watched by armed guards, the camps were overcrowded, and living conditions were poor. According to a 1943 report by the War Relocation Authority, most internees were forced to live in “tarpaper-covered barracks of simple frame construction without plumbing or cooking facilities of any kind.” In 1944, Roosevelt cancelled Executive Order 9066, and the last internment camp was closed in 1945. And beginning in the 1980s, the federal government took action to put right the injustice of the internment program. Congress released a report declaring that internment was “unjust and motivated by racism rather than real military necessity,” and every surviving detainee was paid $20,000 as a form of apology. Quotables Here are some quotations from Franklin Delano Roosevelt! “The country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” “Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” “There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.” “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” Quirky Stuff In 1940, President Roosevelt received a Scottish terrier puppy as an early Christmas gift. Roosevelt named the dog “Murray the Outlaw of Falahill” after a famous 16th Century Scotsman. Since his full name was such a mouthful, the dog became better-known by his nickname: Fala. Roosevelt adored Fala; the Scottie slept at the foot of the President’s bed, and Roosevelt himself fed the dog his breakfast and dinner. He often accompanied the President to meetings with world leaders, where he’d delight them by performing tricks—including curling his lip into a smile! Fala appeared in a Hollywood film about a typical day at the White House, and was the subject of a popular series of political cartoons called “Mr. Fala of the White House.” He became so popular, and received so many letters, that he eventually needed his own private secretary! During World War II, Fala became an honorary private in the U.S. Army after “donating” $1 to the war effort for every day of the year, and setting a good example for Americans on the home front. But not everyone loved Fala. In 1944, a rumor began that the dog had accidentally been left behind on a Presidential trip to Alaska’s Aleutian Islands—and that Roosevelt had sent a Navy destroyer to pick him up, at a cost of several million dollars. Roosevelt responded with his “Fala speech,” in which he claimed that the dog’s “Scotch soul was furious” over the untrue claims. “I don't resent attacks, and my family doesn't resent attacks—but Fala does resent them,” the President said, before noting that the rumor was completely false. 'Trivia' * This is the first BrainPOP video to air in the 2010s. * FDR was an avid stamp collector. After he died, his personal collection of stamps sold for $200,000. * Roosevelt appointed both the first female Cabinet secretary (Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins) and the first female U.S. Ambassador (Ruth Bryan Owens, ambassador to Denmark). * Roosevelt had three vice presidents. John Nance Garner served from 1933 to 1939—and then ran against Roosevelt for the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination in 1940. Henry A. Wallace served from 1941 to 1945. And Harry Truman served just a few weeks in 1945 before Roosevelt’s death thrust him into the presidency. * As a little boy, Roosevelt had the chance to meet with President Grover Cleveland. Cleveland, who was facing a difficult re-election campaign, told him: “My little man, I am making a strange wish for you. It is that you may never be President of the United States!” * In 1933, an unemployed bricklayer named Giuseppe Zangara tried to assassinate FDR at a speech in Miami, FL. He shot at the President but missed, wounding four people and killing Chicago mayor Anton Cermak. * Franklin Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, were fifth cousins once removed. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. President, was Eleanor’s uncle, and he gave the bride away at their wedding! * FDR was the first U.S. President to appear on television. * The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is located at his family’s estate in Hyde Park, NY. It was the first presidential library built in the United States. FYI Comic Category:BrainPOP Episodes Category:Famous Historical Figures Category:U.S. History Category:U.S. Presidents Category:2010 Episodes Category:Episodes in January Category:Social Studies Category:World History Category:January 2010 Episodes